Understanding Beef: Health & WellnessAs Canadians, we are fortunate to have a variety of foods to choosefrom. It’s important to remember that every food we eat is unique. No one food is a cure-all and each food contributes to health in itsown distinct way. Healthy eating is truly a matter of variety, balanceand moderation.

So just how does beef stack up nutritionally? It’s important to consider the role that beef plays in a healthy diet.

THE BIG PICTUREIt’s the quality of our food choices thatcount over time. A healthy diet is one thatprioritizes whole, fresh foods: lots of fruitsand vegetables, high fibre grains and lean,fresh proteins. We call these ‘foundationalfoods’. Healthy eating means choosingfoundational foods most of the time. Discretionary, or treat foods, should be occasional.

One simple way to maximize nutrition,flavour and satisfaction in a meal is to usethe ‘balanced plate’ visual: put vegetablesand/or fruit on ½ of the plate, whole grainsor other starches on ¼ of the plate, andlean fresh protein, such as beef, on the remaining ¼ of the plate.

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A UNIQUE NUTRIENTPACKAGERed meats, like beef, are nutritious and playan important role in a balanced diet. Beefoffers a variety of essential nutrients thatsupport good health. Beef is one of thebest sources of high quality protein, iron,zinc and B vitamins. Canada’s Food Guideincludes beef and other red meats as partof a healthy diet.1

BEEF BELONGSBeef delivers quality calories. Beef is a single ingredient food that satisfies the appetite and is loaded with vital nutrients, all for a moderate number of calories. Beefis a cornerstone to balanced meals as it is usually served with other nutrient-rich, foundational foods such as vegetables andgrains to round out the plate. It fosters thehealthy eating pattern of eating at the tableversus eating on the run. These high qualitystaple foods are precisely the types of foodspeople need to eat most often for healthand wellness. As an efficient, concentratedand nutritious protein source, beef belongsin the diet of Canadians.

FLAWED FOOD PATTERNSMany Canadians are undernourished yetoverfed. Dietary trends show that obesityrates have doubled since the late 1970’s20while the percent of energy from foods naturally rich in high quality protein such asbeef, milk and eggs fell in the same periodof time.21 Meanwhile, an increasing percentage of energy from highly processedready-to-eat foods has replaced energyfrom more nutritious protein-rich foodchoices.22

Like several animal based foods, red meatconsumption is down; according to StatisticsCanada data, red meat consumption declined 14 grams per day between 2004and 2015.19 In contrast, consumption ofhighly processed ready-to-eat foods is increasing and now accounts for almost

eating whole foods together may be morebeneficial than eating them separately. The benefits are not additive, they are compounded. ‘Plant-based’ diets workbest when accompanied with moderateamounts of animal-based proteins.

50% of our daily calorie (energy) intake.22Results from the most recent nutrition survey on diet quality in Canada show thatthe majority of our calories come from pre-prepared, ready-to-eat dishes such aspizza, and sweetened drinks.22 These foodsare typically calorie dense and nutritionallypoor, and they displace nutrient-rich, wholefoods in our diets.

WHAT ABOUT ‘PLANT-BASED’ DIETS?Most of us don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables or fibre, and eating more ofplant foods may provide health benefits.But a plant-based diet is not the same asone that excludes meat.

Animal based foods like meat, fish andpoultry provide high quality protein, easily-absorbed iron and zinc and an impressive range of B vitamins - nutrientsthat are difficult to get enough of from plantfoods. And you don’t need to eat a largeamount of animal protein to reap the benefits. A serving of meat, fish or poultry is only about the size of your palm or adeck of cards.

Meat also helps the body to better absorbcertain nutrients from plant-based foods.For example, in the presence of meat, theiron absorbed from a plant food increasesby 150%.17 Without the presence of meat intheir diets, vegetarians need almost 2 timesmore iron in their diets than meat eaters.18We call this synergistic relationship the‘meat factor’ and it demonstrates why

WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS?Protein supplements are manufactured fromisolated components of whole foods. Theseare highly processed, refined products.Stated simply, they lack the naturally occurring benefits that come standard withwhole foods. When you eat meat, fish,poultry or other protein-dense real foods,you benefit from high-quality, complete-protein, as well as the plentiful vitamins andminerals that come naturally with them – anutritional ‘buy-one-get-one free’ scenarioof sorts. And all this with a ‘clean’ ingredientlabel: nothing added.

PROTEIN POWERProtein is vital at every age and stage. Protein is needed to support children’shealthy growth and development as well asoptimal bone and muscle strength as weage.5-7 Plus, research shows protein canhelp keep you feeling full longer.8-9

The protein in beef and other meats is whatwe call ‘complete’, meaning it contains allthe essential amino acids, whereas plant-based proteins do not. This makes meatmore “efficient” at delivering the protein yourbody requires.

WHAT ABOUT SATURATEDFAT?The most recent studies have found no association between heart disease and saturated fat.14 The contribution beef makesto the fat/saturated fat intake of Canadiansis often a topic of discussion. Here aresome surprising facts that should be part ofthe conversation:

• More than half of the fat in beef isunsaturated. Most of the unsaturatedfat in beef is oleic acid, the same typeof healthy fat found in olive oil.12

• A typical 75 gram portion of cookedbeef contains only 3 grams ofsaturated fat.12 That is the sameamount of saturated fat you would findin an equal portion of roasted chickenthigh.16

• One unique property of beef is thatmuch of the fat can be seen andtrimmed prior to eating. Once trimmed,most cuts of beef are lean.

• On average, fresh red meat accountsfor just 7% of the calories from fat onaverage in the Canadian diet.15

BEEF IN HEALTH RESEARCHThe relationship of beef and health hasbeen extensively studied. Over 10 years ofresearch has found no association betweeneating fresh red meat and any cause ofdeath, including heart disease or cancer.3-4Additionally, research over this time has uncovered some other interesting findings –namely that adults who ate red meat moreoften: (1) tended to eat vegetables moreoften;3 (2) tended to have smaller waistsand lower body weights;3 and (3) eatingsome red meat was more beneficial forhealth than eating none.4

Very few foods can match the nutrient density of beef. Beef is a concentratedsource of nutrients providing a variety of essential vitamins and minerals for a modestnumber of calories. For example: onecooked serving of beef is the size of yourpalm (75 grams) and has as much proteinas 3.5 servings of almonds - almost a fullcup. For the same amount of iron in 1 serving of beef, you would need to eat 6.5 times the amount of salmon, for thesame amount of vitamin B12 you wouldneed to eat 7 times the amount of chicken,and for an equivalent amount of zinc, youwould need to eat 11 eggs.2 When it comesto quality calories, with beef you get a greatamount of nutrients for a small amount offood. Beef is a powerful nutritional package.

HOW MUCH DO WE EAT?Canadians eat beef in moderate amounts.According to the latest government nutritionsurvey, Canadians eat between 3 to 4 servings of fresh red meat per week or 288 grams on average2 – which works outto be 3 meals – a lunch and 2 dinners forexample.

This amount is well below the 500 gram per week limit for cooked fresh red meat as recommended by WCRF24. Considering Canada’s Food Guide advises 2 servings of meat and alternatives a day for women, and 3 servings a day for men, the amount of fresh red meat that we eat on average is well within both global and Canadian guidance. A serving of cooked beef is

Canadians do not over-consume protein. Infact, Canadians are getting about 17% oftheir calories from protein.10 That is at thelower end of the recommended 10-35% ofcalories from protein.11

One portion of beef delivers 26 g of proteinand less than 200 calories.12 Getting thesame amount of protein from black beanswill cost you about 400 calories, about 600 calories from hummus and about 640 calories from peanut butter.13 Whilethese are all extremely healthful foods withtheir own distinct benefits, these comparisons demonstrate how very fewother foods deliver as much protein for sofew calories. The size of a beef portion is 75 grams of cooked beef – just the size ofyour palm.

75 grams, about the size of your palm.On average, fresh red meat contributes only 5% of the total calorie intake of Canadians.15

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THE CANADIAN BEEF CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Located in Calgary, Alberta, The Canadian Beef Centre of Excellenceis a showcase and focal point for all those working with Canadian beef andveal, providing education, leadership,

training and idea generation.

The Centre demonstrates Canada’s commitment to world class standards of

quality and safety.

CONNECT, INNOVATE AND INSPIRE.

REFERENCES1. Health Canada. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, 2007. Available at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.

2. Per 75 grams cooked beef: 26 g protein, 2.5 mg iron, 1.83 ug vitamin B12, 6.5 mg zinc. Per 1/4 cup almonds: 8 g protein. Per 75 g cooked salmon: 0.38 mg iron. Per 75 g cooked chicken: 0.26 ug vitamin B12. Per 2 eggs: 1.16 mg zinc. Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File, 2015. Food codes: Beef 6172, Almonds 2534, Salmon 3053, Chicken 842, Eggs 130.

3. Kappeler R, Eichholzer M, and Rohrmann S. Meat consumption and diet quality and mortality in NHANES III. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2013; 67(6):598-606.

4. Rohrmann S et al. Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. BMC Medicine, 2013; 11:63.

5. Heaney RP and Layman DK. Amount and type of protein influences bone health. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008; 87(5):1567-70.

6. Paddon-Jones D and Leidy H. Dietary protein and muscle in older persons. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 2014; 17(1):5-11.

7. Symons TB et al. A moderate serving of high-quality protein maximally stimulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis in young and elderly subjects. J Am Diet Assoc, 2009; 109(9):1582-6.

8. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lemmens SG, and Westerterp KR. Dietary protein – its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr, 2012; 108(S2):105-12.

9. Larsen TM et al. Diets with High or Low Protein Content and Glycemic Index for Weight-Loss Maintenance. N Engl J Med 2010;363(22):2102-13.

10. Canadian Community Health Survey (Nutrition) 2015, Statistics Canada.

11. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 2005.

12. Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File, 2015. Food code 6172, beef, composite cuts, steak/roast, lean and fat, cooked.

13. Per 75 grams cooked beef: 184 calories, 26 g protein. Per ¾ cup black beans: 168 calories, 11 g protein. Per ¾ cup hummus: 302 calories, 14 g protein. Per 2 Tbsp. peanut butter: 184 calories, 7 g protein. Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File, 2015. Food codes: Beef 6172, Black Beans 3377, Hummus 4870, Peanut Butter 6289.

14. Heart & Stroke Foundation Position Statement: Saturated Fat Heart Disease and Stroke. August, 2015.

15. Fresh and Processed Meat Intake: A Canadian Perspective (2018). Data derived from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey – Nutrition.

16. Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File, 2015. Food code 851, Chicken, broiler, thigh, meat and skin, roasted.

17. Engelmann M, Davidsson L, Sandstrom B, Walczyk T, Hurrell R, and Michaelsen K. The influence of meat on nonheme iron absorption in infants. Pediatric Research, 1998; 43(6):768-773.

18. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc : a Report of the Panel on Micronutrients. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.

19. Red Meat Nutrition Brief. January 2018. Data derived from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey – Nutrition.

20. Canadian Health Measures Survey: Household and physical measures data, 2012 to 2013. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily- quotidien/141029/dq141029ceng.htm.

21. The growing Canadian energy gap: more the can than the couch? Public Health Nutrition: 12(11), 2216–2224.

22. Time to curb our appetite for ultra-processed food. Heart & Stroke Foundation News Release. Dec. 5, 2017.

UPDATED: March 2018

Canada Beef strives to present the facts aroundnutrition, culinary and farming practices basedon the most current scientific research andtests at hand. As research on these topics isever changing, we monitor and update thesetopics as necessary. Recognizing that a healthydiscussion is the best way for us all to gainknowledge and understanding, we welcomeyour comments and conversation.